NOTES 289 



worth reporting. Though we have seen a good many Water-rail 

 when shooting Snipe, this is the first bird of the kind we have 

 come across. Arthur J. Nicolson, Fetlar, Shetland. 



[We have seen the specimen referred to, and can confirm the 

 identification. Only three previous occurrences in Shetland are 

 on record. Eds.] 



Razorbills and Guillemots on Ailsa Craig. As recorded 

 in the Scottish Naturalist last year, the season of 19 13 proved 

 a complete failure for the Razorbills and Guillemots nesting on 

 Ailsa Craig. After apparently settling down in early May, the 

 birds gradually left the rock, until by the month of July they had 

 all disappeared, without fulfilling their parental duties. Many 

 attributed this to the disturbance caused by heavy-gun practice 

 on the warships in the Firth; but as Mr William Evans found these 

 speorss had successfully nested at several stations on the east 

 coast where the same disturbing element was present, one must 

 look for some other cause, and it seems more likely that a lack 

 of suitable food in the neighbouring waters accounted for the 

 early exodus. This year, I visited the Craig with two friends 

 on 6th June. On landing, we made our way round the cliffs 

 on the western side which form one of the main nesting sites, 

 and found them tenanted by vast numbers of Razorbills and 

 Guillemots. The cliffs here are remarkably steep, and difficult 

 of access, but we successfully reached a good number of the 

 ledges on which the birds were nesting, and found they nearly 

 all had eggs. Many Kittiwakes also had their nests here, and 

 although they were apparently complete, comparatively few of 

 them contained eggs. 



Puffins were breeding plentifully on the steep slopes running 

 down from the cliffs at certain parts, and large numbers of Gannets 

 occupied the top ledges, their harsh cries adding greatly to the 

 general din. Whilst standing on the shingle at the base of the 

 cliffs we witnessed a desperate encounter between two of these 

 birds on the water, close inshore. They rolled over and over 

 as each held the other in its powerful bill, and it looked as if 

 the fight would end fatally for one or other of the combatants, 

 when suddenly an immature bird dashed down, sending them 

 off in opposite directions such an unlooked-for finish being almost 

 ludicrous in its tameness. J. Kirke Nash, Edinburgh. 



Blackbird feeding on daisies. While many of our passerine 

 birds are very partial to fruit, they seem seldom to include flowers 

 in their dietary. It was with considerable interest, therefore, that 

 36 2 O 



b 



